..Cross-sectional study of electromyographic onsets of trunk and hip muscles in subjects with a clinical diagnosis of sacroiliac joint pain and matched control subjects...

Motor unit synchronization between medial and lateral vasti muscles

Rebecca MellorDivision of Physiotherapy, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, AustraliaClin Neurophysiol 116:1585-95. 2005

..Strategies to coordinate the vasti muscles, such as motor unit synchronization, may simplify control of patellar tracking. This study investigated motor unit synchronization between vastus medialis (VM) and lateralis (VL)...

..Although increased stiffness may aid in the protection of spinal structures, this may have long-term consequences for spinal health and LBP recurrence due to compromised trunk dynamics (decreased damping)...

Corticomotor excitability of back muscles is affected by intervertebral disc lesion in pigs

Paul W HodgesNHMRC Centre of Clinical Research Excellence in Spinal Pain, Injury and Health, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, AustraliaEur J Neurosci 29:1490-500. 2009

..These data indicate that IVD lesion induces localized increases, and not decreases, in the excitability of cortical inputs to the deep paraspinal muscles that cross a lesioned disc...

Pain induced by injection of hypertonic saline into the infrapatellar fat pad and effect on coordination of the quadriceps muscles

Paul W HodgesNHMRC Centre of Clinical Research Excellence in Spinal Pain, Injury and Health, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, AustraliaJ Pain 9:1169-74. 2008

The effect of therapeutic exercise on activation of the deep cervical flexor muscles in people with chronic neck pain

G A JullCentre of Clinical Research Excellence in Spinal Pain, Injury and Health, Division of Physiotherapy, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, AustraliaMan Ther 14:696-701. 2009

Reorganization of the motor cortex is associated with postural control deficits in recurrent low back pain

H TsaoNHMRC Centre of Clinical Research Excellence in Spinal Pain, Injury and Health, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, AustraliaBrain 131:2161-71. 2008

..These findings provide preliminary evidence of reorganization of trunk muscle representation at the motor cortex in individuals with recurrent LBP, and suggest this reorganization is associated with deficits in postural control...

Co-activation of the abdominal and pelvic floor muscles during voluntary exercises

Transversus abdominis and the superficial abdominal muscles are controlled independently in a postural task

P W HodgesDepartment of Physiotherapy, The University of Queensland, AustraliaNeurosci Lett 265:91-4. 1999

..Dissociation of the behaviour of TrA and the other abdominal muscles suggests that TrA may be controlled independently of the motor command for limb movement in contrast to the other abdominal muscles...

Relationship between limb movement speed and associated contraction of the trunk muscles

..Although altered processing in the primary motor (M1) and sensory cortex (S1) is implicated in pain, the temporal relationship between these regions is unknown and may provide insight into the interaction between them...

..As the deep cervical muscles are fundamentally important for support of the cervical lordosis and the cervical joints, change in the feedforward response may leave the cervical spine vulnerable to reactive forces from arm movement...

..The results suggest that immediate postural adaptation is intact in people with PD and unaffected by levodopa administration but the ability to refine postural adaptations with task experience is compromised by dopamine therapy. ..

Inefficient muscular stabilization of the lumbar spine associated with low back pain. A motor control evaluation of transversus abdominis

..CONCLUSIONS: The delayed onset of contraction of transversus abdominis indicates a deficit of motor control and is hypothesized to result in inefficient muscular stabilization of the spine...

Changes in excitability of corticomotor inputs to the trunk muscles during experimentally-induced acute low back pain

H TsaoCentre for Clinical Research Excellence in Spinal Pain, Injury and Health, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia 4072Neuroscience 181:127-33. 2011

..Further work is required to reveal whether such changes involve spinal and/or supraspinal centres and their consequence for spine control...

Changes in motor planning of feedforward postural responses of the trunk muscles in low back pain

..While inhibition of the descending motor command cannot be excluded, it is more likely that the change in recruitment of TrA represents a more complex change in organisation of the postural response...

Postural activity of the diaphragm is reduced in humans when respiratory demand increases

P W HodgesDepartment of Physiology, Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute and University of New South Wales, Sydney, AustraliaJ Physiol 537:999-1008. 2001

..This attenuation can affect the key inspiratory and expiratory muscles and is likely to be co-ordinated at a pre-motoneuronal site...

Coexistence of stability and mobility in postural control: evidence from postural compensation for respiration

P W HodgesPrince of Wales Medical Research Institute and University of New South Wales, Sydney, AustraliaExp Brain Res 144:293-302. 2002

..Thus, stability in quiet stance is dependent on movement of multiple body segments and control of equilibrium cannot be reduced to control of a single joint...

Measurement of muscle contraction with ultrasound imaging

P W HodgesPrince of Wales Medical Research Institute and the University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2031, AustraliaMuscle Nerve 27:682-92. 2003

..There is insufficient evidence to determine the effect of other stimulation parameters such as frequency and waveform. Further research is needed to confirm whether modulation of these parameters affects plastic change...

..The recruitment of new units is partly inconsistent with generalized inhibition of the motoneuron pool predicted by the "pain adaptation" theory, and provides the basis for a new mechanism of motor adaptation with pain...

Sensory and motor deficits exist on the non-injured side of patients with unilateral tendon pain and disability--implications for central nervous system involvement: a systematic review with meta-analysis

..Tendon tissue changes in animals present in injured as well as contralateral non-injured tendon. This review investigated evidence for bilateral sensory and motor system involvement in unilateral tendinopathy in humans...

Anticipatory postural activity of the deep trunk muscles differs between anatomical regions based on their mechanical advantage

R J ParkThe University of Queensland, NHMRC Centre of Clinical Research Excellence in Spinal Pain, Injury and Health, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia The University of Queensland, Centre for Sensorimotor Neuroscience, School of Human Movement Studies, Brisbane, Queensland, AustraliaNeuroscience 261:161-72. 2014

..The data also point to a sophisticated control of muscle activation that appears based on mechanical advantage. ..

Training the cervical muscles with prescribed motor tasks does not change muscle activation during a functional activity

Deborah FallaDivision of Physiotherapy, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, AustraliaMan Ther 13:507-12. 2008

..05). The results demonstrate that training the cervical muscles with a prescribed motor task may not automatically result in improved muscle activation during a functional activity, despite a reduction in neck pain...

Illusory changes in head position induced by neck muscle vibration can alter the perception of elbow position